Why The Hell... (random rant)
Mxsmanic wrote:
Peter Dohm writes:
Some of you guys are a *lot* more trusting than I am. I was really hoping
for some of the current airmen to say this, but most have only nibbled
around the edges--so here goes:
The magnetic compass has exactly one thing in its favor, and that is just
plain old Brute Reliability.
It requires no power from the aircraft's systems, it is not subject to
happenstance or whim concerning any transmitting stations, and wide spread
interference with (the) signal is unimaginable.
It's already so inaccurate without interference that that's bad enough. There
are plenty of spots on charts where the compass will be 6-8 degrees off even
from the already irrgular declination over larger areas.
Anyway, if you push this concept to its limit, you should be able to complete
a trip without an engine, since engines are not 100% reliable. Obviously,
that's not a practical reality, and at some point you have to recognize that a
compass alone, no matter how reliable in the sense of always working to some
extent, may simply not be enough to get you home.
Tell that to Charlie Lindbergh.
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